OTTAWA – Jacqueline Benoit and her 12-year-old daughter, Devyn, enjoyed an early Christmas celebration at their home in the Glebe last Thursday. To the tune of her favourite music, Devyn opened her presents as she and her mother danced with their three-year-old dog, Jax.In was also a celebration of their one-year anniversary with Jax, a black and white border collie … Read More
OTTAWA – To roaring applause, U.S. President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Paul Martin descended the escalator with their wives into the Great Hall of the Museum of Civilization for the official dinner capping off the first U.S. presidential visit to Ottawa since 1995. The 740 distinguished attendees gave their hosts and guests of honour a standing ovation for … Read More
OTTAWA _ In their hilariously funny book, How To Be A Canadian, brothers Will and Ian Ferguson, in their trademark witty style, reveal the source of the deep discontent many Canadians feel towards their neighbours to the south. “Why do we Canadians hate Americans so much?” they ask rhetorically. “Is it because the United States sent in their troops and … Read More
OTTAWA – With open-aired Frank Clair Stadium vulnerable to the elements, weather could once again have a profound impact on the outcome of the Canadian Football League’s championship game. It wouldn’t be the first time.In the 92-year history of the event, weather has been as much a part of Grey Cup lore as anything else. Hence the nicknames, which immediately … Read More
On a cold January night nearly two year ago, Marc Woerlen was sitting in the outdoor hot tub of his good friend Andrew Cinnamon, as the two relaxed in the backyard of Mr. Cinnamon’s North Gower home. “Boy, do you have it good up here,” Mr. Woerlen told his friend. “Maybe we’ll join you here soon.” Shortly thereafter, their casual … Read More
Trying to take her little sister’s mind off the drama that had overtaken their lives, Jenna Welch, 23, took 10-year-old Petra to a video store Monday night to rent a movie. Upon their arrival, Jenna’s cellphone rang. It was her older sister, Alana, with a message: “Mom’s home.”Jenna and Petra made a mad dash home, barrelled through the front door … Read More
OTTAWA – The Humane Society of the United States, a powerful animal protection group that boasts more than eight million members, is opening a Montreal office in an effort to put an end to Canada’s “brutal” and “inhumane” seal hunt. But the move, part of a recent increase in American pressure against the hunt, is already drawing the ire of … Read More
OTTAWA – When Jane Goodall was an eight-year-old girl in England, she had a dream that she would one day go to Africa, live with the animals and then write books about them. The world-renowned primatologist and pioneering chimpanzee researcher fulfilled that dream long ago. Yesterday, at the Museum of Nature, she encouraged children roughly that age to follow in … Read More
In the first week of December, a two-year-old Siberian tiger approached a lumbermen’s village in Far Eastern Russia, near Vladivostok. Locals immediately knew that something was terribly wrong when the normally solitary animal strayed into the village, ignoring the presence of several men and their dogs. Very few Russians have ever actually seen a Siberian tiger with their own eyes. … Read More
Standing at the edge of the parquet court in front of rows of cheering fans, Sue Altman was all smiles as she hopped and waved both her arms to the hundreds of supporters roaring above. Her light blond hair was pulled back tightly in a bun and sweat was still streaking down her cheeks. Her baggy shorts hung just above … Read More
NEW YORK – He beat Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale handily at the polls. But when it came to a face-off with FDR, Ronald Reagan lost. Reagan’s fans pushed for legislation last December to replace Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s image on the dime. The bill gathered support from House Republicans but was blocked by Democrats determined to preserve FDR’s legacy. Conservatives, though, … Read More
NEW YORK – It started as a superstitious stunt, but then things got hairy. Neils Kemper’s favorite German soccer team was on a roll. So as not to jinx the team’s winning streak, he stopped shaving while the lucky run lasted. But when Eintracht Frankfurt finally lost, Kemper, a 23-year old Economics student at The New School in Manhattan, couldn’t … Read More
The tone for one of the most famous and successful books of the 20th century is set right from the start, in fact from the very first sentence: “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents … Read More
MIDDLETOWN, Conn – In front of 500 Wesleyan University students, Dan LaRosa stood on a stage with a dozen volunteers from the crowd. One by one, he stroked the volunteers on their shoulders, puts his other hand on their heads, and whispered the word “sleep.” The students’ heads dropped and each fell into a trance. What followed was a two-hour … Read More
NEW YORK – When Yana Oselkin turned 28 last September, her younger brother bought her an unusual birthday gift. “He got me an acre on the moon, with an earth-facing view,” the Manhattan-based dentist recalled recently. “I thought he was kidding.” Oselkin now says she is a “proud moon owner,” but views her property mostly as a novelty. She has … Read More